


The Lingo

by wiggles247



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: French fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-22
Updated: 2016-09-04
Packaged: 2018-07-26 01:28:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7554850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wiggles247/pseuds/wiggles247
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aaron explains the difference between like and love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little bit of fluff that came from who knows where (not France though, strangely). Hope you enjoy.............

“But you must have picked something up,” Robert persisted, his voice muffled by the fridge as he put the milk back, “you were there for two years.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Aaron replied, shrugging slightly even though Robert couldn’t see him, “enough to get by I suppose but I haven’t needed it for so long now, and its true – use it or lose it.  So guess I’ve lost it.”

“What, so you really can’t remember anything?” Robert said incredulously, looking across at him as he put the drinking chocolate into the mug and stirred it.

“No, I didn’t say that,” Aaron countered. “You asked if I’d be able to hold a conversation in French and I said no.  I had enough trouble with it when I was over there, using it all the time, so god knows how I’d be now without having heard or spoken it for all this time.”

“So you could say something?” Robert asked, pushing the mug towards Aaron over the kitchen counter

“Of course I could say _something_ ,” Aaron replied, a hint of annoyance in his tone, “my memory’s not that bad!”

“Go on then,” Robert said, “say something.”

There was a pause, and Robert half expected the next thing Aaron said to end in off, but instead, making no effort with the accent he sounded out “Une biere, s’il vous plait.” with the small smug grin that infuriated and entranced Robert in equal measure on his face.

“Ttt, Aaron!” Robert chided, “please… for me”

Aaron sighed heavily “Fine,” he relented, wondering idly if he’d ever be able to really resist giving Robert anything he asked for. “Erm… … OK then, how about this: Excusez-moi, pouvez-vous me dire où les ampoules sont, s'il vous plaît ?” Looking over at Robert, almost shyly, from beneath his eyelids.

“Wow,” Robert said softly, genuinely impressed at how French he’d sounded, “What’s it mean?”

 And Aaron’s blush at Robert’s reaction was replaced by a grin as he replied, “Can you tell me where the lightbulbs are please?”

“Really?” Robert asked, a slightly disbelieving tone in his voice, “Well, I guess it’s true what they say: French really **is** the language of love.  That sounded much sexier than that.”  Thinking but not saying, ‘of course that could be something to do with the person saying it as well’ before continuing, “but that’s a weird thing to remember.”

 “I know,” Aaron replied, still smiling, “I reckon it’s because I had to look up what light bulbs was and how to say it too.  But it’s like one of the only things I remembered from the French I did at school was: ‘A quelle heure part le prochain train a Paris?’ And, wouldn’t you know it, I never needed to say that when I was over there.  Anyway, what about you – do you speak French?”

“Uh uh,” Robert began, shaking his head, “we did German when I started secondary school and I just never got it.  I mean the whole gender thing – what’s that about?  Why would a table be feminine and a chair masculine, or whatever they are?  And as for neuter!” he continued, tailing off in disgust  “And you only got to do another language in year 8 if you were good at the one you’d started with so apart from the obvious, ‘merci’, ‘bonjour’, I don’t really know any French.  Well,” he said, a smirk spreading across his face as a thought occurred to him, “I suppose there’s also ‘Voulez-vous couchez avec moi?’ too”

 “Robert!”

“And ‘je t’aime’ obviously” Robert ploughed on, ignoring Aaron’s protestations.

“That’s not even right though,” Aaron interjected, continuing as he saw Robert’s confusion, “I mean, I know it does now because of that song and everything, but aimer actually means ‘to like’, adorer means to love really – so if you’re being strictly accurate it should be je t’adore.”

“Really? I never knew that.” Robert replied, wonderingly.

“There’s no need to sound so surprised,” Aaron teased,  “even the great Robert Sugden can’t know everything...  He does however,” he continued, as always mindful of Robert’s feelings, after taking a cautious sip from his mug “make really good hot chocolate.  I don’t understand why you haven’t got any – it’s lovely,”

“Ugghh, no.” Robert said, pulling a face, “warm milk, isn’t it – no thank you!”

“We could get the instant stuff that you just add water to,” Aaron suggested.

“Yeah, but you reckon that’s not as nice, and anyway there’s the whole fake chocolate thing too.  No,” he said, “give me a glass of cold milk and a couple of chunks of Dairy Milk straight from the fridge any day of the week.”  Illustrating his point by taking a long sip from his glass of milk.  “Although, seeing as how Liv’s been nibbling there’s no real chocolate in the house at the moment.”

“What?” Aaron said, “that whole big bar’s gone?”

“Erm,yeah but,”

“Oh, for god’s sake – you’d think she was never fed!”

“But to be fair,” Robert began in an attempt to placate him, “there wasn’t actually that much of it left after Sunday evening, and I did have some more as well.”

“Yeah well, even so. Don’t worry I‘ll make sure she buys another one.”

“No, really there’s no ne..”

“Robert,” Aaron exclaimed, in a voice that trucked no argument, “the little gannet is going to buy you another one.”

“Ok, fine.” Robert relented, before wondering how their relationship had developed to the point where it was him defending Liv against Aaron.

“What?” Aaron asked suspiciously as he noticed the soft smile that had appeared on Robert’s face.

“Nothing,” Robert quickly said, adding, “really it’s nothing!” when it became apparent that Aaron wasn’t convinced by his original answer.

Aaron carried on looking at him suspiciously for a few more moments before, deciding that it was too late to start interrogating him, he let it go and took a longer sip of his hot chocolate.  “You know,” he murmured, smiling over at him “you really do make the best hot chocolate.”  Adding, when he saw Robert preparing to say something, “And don’t you dare spoil this by saying it’s not the only thing you’re best at!”

And he was gratified, but not surprised to see Robert look slightly chastened and close his mouth again, before he seemed to recover and grinning wickedly over at him said.  “I don’t need to now though, do I?  Seeing as how you’ll be thinking of all the things I do best right now, without me even mentioning them.”  And he was delighted to be proved right when Aaron couldn’t meet his eyes and began to blush, most fetchingly if you asked Robert.

“Hmm, well” Aaron blustered, desperately trying to disguise his embarrassment, “that’s the last time I’m ever going to give you a compliment, ever!” he concluded, before heading to the sofa and sitting down, as if drawing a line under the conversation.

And Robert, who really didn’t want to spoil anything bit back the retort he could have said about how he’d bet Aaron wouldn’t even be able to keep that vow until the morning, and instead wandered over to the sofa and sitting down held his hand out to Aaron, saying “Truce,” and smiling. 

And Aaron smiled back and taking his hand agreed “Truce,” before leaning in for a kiss.

 

~*X*X*~

 

Later, after Aaron had broken his vow because really there were things that Robert was even better at than making the best hot chocolate he thought back to their conversation.  He looked down at Robert, sleeping, his head on his chest and arms and legs wrapped round him.  He ran his hand gently through his hair, and after dropping a kiss to the top of his head murmured sleepily, “Je t’adore.  Restez avec moi.  Toujours.”

 

 

 


	2. Sort of sequel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert spots an opportunity............

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been inspired by my own (non-French) holiday to write a (very short) sort of sequel/epilogue - actually had this in mind for a while but my recent vacances gave me the chance to write it. Hope you enjoy........

“Robert, what time’s the next train?” Aaron asked, glancing at his watch as  they approached the station.

“I’m not sure,” Robert replied. “I know they’re every 20 minutes or so but I don’t know exactly what time the next ones due.  We’ll just have to look at the information boards.”

~*X*X*~

“Oh,” he said, “maybe not then,” when they walked into the station to see that the information boards weren’t working.  A few random symbols in place of the lists of destinations and times he supposed were meant to be displayed. “Oh OK.  Well you could ask.” Robert suggested, secretly pleased that he would get to hear Aaron talk French again – it never seemed to get old and was a _total_ turn on.  And he hadn’t thought it was possible but he’d fallen in love with him a little bit more each time Aaron had patiently explained to him how to say something.  And that _was_ a surprise because he’d always hated it when Chrissie had tried to help him with something he was struggling with even, perversely, when he’d asked her for her input.  “Actually,” he continued, as a thought occurred to him, “you should _definitely_ ask.”

“What?” Aaron said the confusion apparent on his face. “Why definitely? Robert, what?” he persisted, but Robert just stood there silent and smiling. “Rob?” he said once more, a trace of frustration in his tone before, suddenly, the memory clicked into place.  And he knew that Robert knew when he had remembered because suddenly he was beaming, _that_ smile.  And (just like always when he saw it) his heart skipped a beat and then he was beaming too.  Then Robert leant in and kissed him softly (and he could feel his smile!) before murmuring in his ear

“Go on then. Go find out what time the next train is,” gently pushing his shoulder at the same time, steering him towards the centre of the concourse.

“OK, OK, I’m going,” he replied.  Approaching a SNCF employee, just knowing without having to look that Robert was behind him and aware of the effect his speaking French had on him, he carefully asked, “Excusez moi. A quelle heure part le prochain train a Paris, s’il vous plait?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have a moment to spare please leave kudos or (even better) a comment.  
> Thanks.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. If you have a moment please leave kudos or (even better) a comment.


End file.
